“Here!” Marcus called out as he found a false wall at the back of the room. With a tug he pulled it open to reveal several bodies slumped across the desks. In the middle of the room lay the bloodied body of President West as well as three Marine Guards.
“Oh shit, Marcus, it’s a setup!”
They ducked into the second room and took cover among the already shattered decks and tables. As they waited it was evident a terrible scene of violence had taken place in the last hour. Marcus checked the President for a pulse before turning back to Spartan.
“He’s cold, they must have done this just after they went in, how did we not hear it?”
Part of the wall to the side turned white and they were knocked backwards by the violent blast. As Spartan tried to get up four men in black body armour of the Guards Unit formed a line. Each of them was pointing a thermal shotgun at him. Spartan shook his head, trying to clear the fuzziness from the stun grenade. He looked to his right, Marcus was unconscious and slumped across a desk.
“You bastards!”
He started to lift his weapon when General Rivers entered the room. For a second Spartan thought he might be behind the assassination but then he saw the cuffs on his wrists and the gag on his face. Two more armoured guards flanked him. As Spartan watched in shock the men rushed forward to secure him. With his instincts kicking in he emptied the pistol into the first but the pistol wasn’t powerful enough to penetrate the thick armour and they were instantly on top of him. He punched and kicked with all his strength but there were too many. In just under a minute they had him knocked to the ground and unconscious.
* * *
Admiral Jarvis stood in the CiC of the CCS Wasp, waiting for news from Commander Anderson. In the last ten minutes a number of jammed data packets had been received but there was too much corruption for her people to obtain much solid information. She was starting to become impatient.
“Captain, any news from the Fleet at Kerberos?”
Captain Hardy spoke briefly with the Communications Officer before turning back to her.
“Nothing, Admiral, the last update was the regular sitrep one hour ago.”
She stood, examining the disposition of the ships on her display. Already a number of vessels were heading to Kerberos and Prime to reinforce the ships already there.
“Put me through to the Crusader, they must have heard something by now!” she said, her patience finally running out.
“Sir,” the Captain gave the orders to his crew.
The officers moved about, realigning their communication arrays to receive the narrowband encrypted data channels. There was something wrong, Admiral Jarvis could tell by the crew’s body language that they were having problems.
“What is it?” she asked finally.
“All channels to Kerberos are being jammed, Admiral,” replied the Communications Officer.
“Jammed, by whom?”
“I...uh...don’t know, Sir. The signal is being overlaid with an unencrypted video stream, it is being played out on all frequencies.”
“Put it on,” ordered Captain Hardy.
“The main display slid away from the strategic map and to a standard definition colour video stream of a podium behind which hung the banners of the Church of Echidna.
“What is this nonsense?” she demanded.
There was no time to answer her as a man in a robe stepped up to the podium and removed his hood.
“I, Typhon, Bishop of Yama City and head of our good Church and the people of Kerberos welcome all with open hands. I thank you,” he said as he lifted his hands.
Admiral Jarvis turned her head in disbelief at the platform being used by this man.
“Fellow Kerberons and citizens of Proxima. I have been asked to speak by the Vice President of Kerberos. Within the last few hours a terrible event has occurred. Not content with violence and depravity on Prime, the agents of the Confederacy have struck in this very city. President West and a number of his key advisors have been assassinated by a well organised and savage assault by agents of the Confederate Navy,” he said as he waved to someone off camera.
Six men in black armour appeared and dragged the bloodied and bruised shapes of General Rivers, Spartan and Marcus into view.
“God no!” exclaimed Admiral Jarvis.
“These men are responsible for this terrible crime and they will be sent to an undisclosed location where they will await their trial. Even more incredible is that the operation was under the direct command of General Rivers, one of the senior Confederate Commanders in Proxima!”
The guards dragged the prisoners out of the view of the camera so that the Bishop was the only person remaining in shot.
“Due to these terrible events the Vice President has chosen to remain hidden until our security forces can guarantee his safety. His first order however is to establish the Church as a moral oversight to his administration. Though a terrible night, this change in policy to the atheist and abhorrent regime of the past should gives us cause for joy. For decades our good people have slaved under the tyranny of big business. Workers earn little, yet work longer and harder as the rich become richer. Human morality has become shameful with even our own leaders living in shame and decadence. Today the partnership between the government of Kerberos and the Church announces its intention to help any colony to become a safe and prosperous place to live outside of the greedy paws of the Confederacy. No more will our citizens be forced to fight wars on foreign lands for an oppressive regime.”
He paused, waiting as if there was a momentous addition to his speech. The silence extends to almost ten seconds before he continued.
“How many of our colonial brothers have been forced to join the military? Some because of debts to oppressive companies, others for so-called crimes against the state. This duty of service and war is a crime against humanity and we have been working tirelessly for the last five years on the creation of an alternative to this service. Our loyal citizens should never have to fight in another war or die in another battle. I am therefore proud to announce the wonder that is the Biomech. A biological machine that will provide our people with safety and security, while removing the risk of war to our citizens,” he said with a gleam in his eye.
From the right hand side of the camera stepped two of the shock troopers. They seemed almost identical the ones that had fought on Prime. They looked like normal people, just bigger and more substantial. They both wore a minimalist level of armour, much like the tight fitting PDS suits of the marines. Their heads were covered with metal masks that conveniently covered their mutated muscles and jaws. In perfect synchronisation the two warriors dropped to one knee and bowed to the camera. As they remained totally still, a man in the robes of the Zealots approached the Bishop and spoke quietly before turning and moving out of view. The Bishop then looked up and smiled at the camera.
“We have received word following the discussions between the Chief Ministers of Kerberos and those of the Colonies of Prime, Orthrus and Agora. They have all announced their intention to secede from the oppressive capitalist regime of the Confederacy. I call on all military forces to join us and return Proxima to the people. From today, any city or colony joining our union of peace and brotherhood will be provided full protection against military intervention, piracy and organised crime through the deployment of our loyal Biomechs,” he signalled to both shock troopers who then stood and left.
“Peace to you all,” said Typhon as he placed his hand on his heart.
The video feed cut off abruptly. Admiral Jarvis continued staring at the video display in disbelief. She had sent General Rivers as a representative and now the situation in Prime seemed to pale in insignificance to this new threat in the sector.
“The jamming has stopped, Admiral,” said the Communications Officer.
Captain Hardy approached the Admiral, standing in front and looking for a moment as though he was going to draw a weapon. Instead he pulled out a datapad, he pressed one button a
nd handed it to her.
“While the feed was coming in we managed to decode some of the data coming from the Rim. It is Commander Anderson and he says he has information on the coup on Kerberos.”
Admiral Jarvis looked down at the datapad, checking the details for herself. When she finished reading she moved back to her strategic map and reached out, touching each of the seceding colonies and tapping them. The colours of the sites turned grey until little remained in the System that appeared loyal to the Confederacy.
“What are your orders, Admiral?”
Admiral Jarvis stood silent, looking at the map as if she expected some great solution to present itself. It wasn’t to be though. She turned to the Captain.
“We will stop this before it can spread,” she said firmly.
Moving across the CiC she reached the communication array.
“Record this message and send it out to every combat unit in the sector!”
The officer sitting at his desk looked quickly at Captain Hardy who immediately gave him the nod. He pressed a few buttons and then handed the microphone to the Admiral.
“This is Admiral Jarvis, Supreme Commander of all Confederation Units in Proxima. A military coup has been staged on Kerberos by terrorist forces. I am placing all Units on maximum alert! All personnel are to report to their stations. Any attempts to enter Confederation facilities will be responded to with lethal force.”
She paused, realising the decision she was making could have catastrophic consequences for the region.
“As the legal representative of the Confederacy, I declare any acts of secession to be illegal and against the articles of the Confederacy agreed to by every colony in this sector. Any attempts to break the articles will be met by the full force of the Confederate Military!” she said and then slammed down the intercom.
The entire room was silent, the officers either waiting to hear what she had to say next or just waiting for their orders. Admiral Jarvis turned back to examine the display and the ever shrinking influence of the Confederacy. As she looked at the screen she called over to the Communications Officer.
“Get me through to Commander Anderson, we need information!”
“Aye, Sir,” said the man as he proceeded to try and link directly to the Tamarisk.
“This is it then?” asked Captain Hardy, his face showing obvious horror at the situation.
“No, it isn’t. We are facing the greatest threat since the Great War,” she said sternly.
“War? We’re already fighting a war, Sir,” said the Captain.
Admiral Jarvis turned back to him, her eyes burning with anger at the situation.
“This war hasn’t even begun!”
FIRES OF PROMETHEUS
By Michael G. Thomas
PUBLISHED BY:
Swordworks Books
Copyright © 2011 by Michael G. Thomas
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
CHAPTER ONE
The first Biomechs were encountered during the campaign to retake the Titan Naval Station. It wasn’t until the ground offensive on Prime however, before their true potential was realised. What started as small-scale usage of suicidal fighters quickly turned into the tactical use of the larger models in assault operations. The Biomech itself became an army of options and opportunities.
Evolution of the Biomechs
Kerberos was quiet, much quieter than any of the military personnel could have expected. Almost three months had passed since the end of hostilities in the Proxima Centauri System between the Confederate military and the insurgents under the guidance of the Church of Echidna and her militant allies. Though open warfare had stopped there were still sporadic skirmishes and suicide bombings as the insurgents did their best to spread fear and terror in the civilian population. None of the underlying issues had been resolved and the entire sector had settled into a period of uneasy truce, a kind of space based phoney war where both sides were preparing and waiting for the resurgence of battle. Of the eleven planets in the System the four that were colonised had seceded from the Confederacy. Many of the others teetered on the brink of joining either through fear of what might happen if they didn’t or simply because they lacked faith in the Confederacy to keep them safe. Fort Hood and Confederate military outposts on the other colonies were on full alert and had been since the attacks on the Titan Station that precipitated the start of open hostilities. Of the colonies that split from the Confederacy, none recognised the authority of the Army, Navy or Marine Corps and most had given demands for military forces to leave. Their occupation of colony land was considered an act of war that could lead to the continuation of the war. Admiral Jarvis, the Supreme Commander of all Confederate forces in Proxima Centauri, had given the order than no state land or bases were to be relinquished and that support would be provided to any forces needing assistance.
To the men and women at Fort Hood, deep in the heart of the enemy camp, these seemed to be empty words. With just a small number of combat troops the fort couldn’t be expected to hold out for long if a concerted attack was launched against them. Common sense dictated they evacuate the base and move their units into orbit, but the Navy was refusing to move them. As they waited they could only hope the threat of full-scale colonial warfare between the Confederate colonies and the secessionists would stop both sides pushing for what could become a genocidal conflict. Colonel Towers, an imposing figure and commander of the base, stood in front of a paper map of the area and traced out a number of geographical features not far from their walls.
“If you look here there are four locations where units can be concealed close enough to strike at the walls. We can reach two of them with indirect fire but these two are a real problem. I want remote gun systems positioned here, and here,” he explained as he pointed to the locations on the map.
“What about the cover on the access road to the south?” asked one of the lieutenants.
“That’s already covered. We have a foot patrol out there right now setting up a checkpoint and OP. With these areas covered we should get at least fifteen minutes warning of any ground approaches to the base.”
“Captain, will this give us enough room to get your air units down safely for resupply?” he asked looking across to the small group of Navy personnel stood in the corner.
Captain Erdeniz stepped forward and examined the air corridor provided by the defensive weapons and counter measures. It was his job to ensure the meagre air support they had available was able to bring supplies and aid in when needed. But as the noose around them tightened it was becoming more and more difficult.
“It isn’t perfect but it is big enough to get the small craft down in one piece. If we need to evacuate in a hurry we’ll have to bring in the big birds, for that we’ll need suppression aircraft to keep missiles off our backs, Sir.”
The Colonel turned to look at the assembled officers.
“The situation here is going to hell, I think you all know that.” The rest of the officers were surprised by his candour and at least one chuckled at his comments. The Colonel tried to spot the laughing man but the room quickly quietened down, much to his dismay.
“You’ve seen the reports, the same as I have. The insurgents are thick as thieves with the so-called Church and a g
ood number of the unions here. With offers of free medical support, work for those that want it and free housing it’s not surprising the masses are going for it. Hell, if I hadn’t seen how they are doing this I might even be interested myself. Be under no illusions, gentlemen, the enemy can only achieve their objectives by turning the colonial population into docile servants who will do what they are told and when. One day they will understand this and then it will be much too late.”
“Sir, I don’t see what politics has to do with Confed military forces? Can’t we just leave them to it?” asked a junior officer.
“Leave them to what exactly? Evict us from our bases and disband all colony militia forces so that their biological monstrosities can take over. A population that is unable and unwilling to defend itself will cease to be free. Mark my words, any colony falling for the promises of these people will turn into a slave worker’s paradise in just months. It gets worse though, they do not seek to simply remove us,” he said shaking his hands in anger, “these bastards want to replace us! They hate us with pure, unreasoning hatred and they will not stop until our very way of life is destroyed. You saw the video of the fighting on Prime. They will take by force that which they cannot take by the ballot paper.”
He signalled to one of the Naval Intelligence officers standing at the front.
“Sir, if you look at the big picture it is clear the merging of the political parties, and the sidelining of religions outside of the Church, is creating a dictatorial one party system on Kerberos. This model is spreading through the colonies of Prime and outwards to the other worlds. The bottom line is that it’s easy to just say yes. The enemy is offering an end to hunger, unemployment, illness and even the requirement to defend yourself. The offer is to turn humanity into soft, docile cattle. We have studied our enemy in detail and it gives me no pleasure to inform you that this insidious danger is the greatest threat the Confederacy has ever faced. Even worse, our citizens are welcoming it with open arms!”
Star Crusades Uprising: The First Trilogy Page 38